Pastrami Sandwich Recipe - Great Italian Chefs

Snack
medium
2
3 hours, plus overnight brining

PT3H

Create your own homemade pastrami with Cristina Bowerman's veal tongue recipe. While this might not be the speediest snack to make, with a little forward planning the sliced meat makes a tender and delicious filling for a hearty sandwich. Cristina also offers a recipe for giardiniera, a classic Italian pickle of of thinly sliced vegetables that adds sweetness and tang to this sandwich.

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Ingredients

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Tongue pastrami

1 veal tongue, rinsed well
5g of black peppercorns
5g of mustard seeds
5g of coriander seeds
5g of allspice
2g of ground ginger
3 juniper berries
1 pinch of chilli powder
1 garlic clove
1 bay leaf
25g of palm sugar
110g of salt
2.2l water

Giardiniera

1 dried chilli
1 pinch of juniper berries
1 pinch of cloves
1 pinch of black peppercorns
2l white wine vinegar
1l water
110g of salt
120g of sugar
5 radishes, sliced
1 turnip, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
extra virgin olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper

To assemble

2 ciabatta buns
1 tbsp of mustard
3 tbsp of mayonnaise
10 slices of salami, such as ciauscolo
1 handful of mixed baby cress

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Muslin cloth

Method

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Brine the tongue the day before serving. Place the dry spices and seeds in a frying pan over a low heat and gently toast until lightly roasted and fragrant. Tip on to a plate to cool

Once cool, add to a pan with the remaining ingredients and stir well to incorporate. Submerge the tongue in the liquid and transfer to the fridge to brine overnight

1 garlic clove
1 bay leaf
25g of palm sugar
110g of salt
2.2l water
1 veal tongue, rinsed well

After this time drain off half of the brining liquid. Top the pan back up with fresh water and place over a medium heat, gradually bringing up to the boil

Once boiling, allow to simmer until the tongue is tender – this may take between 1½–4 hours depending on the weight of the tongue. To check whether the tongue is cooked, pierce the thickest part with a knife – it should go through the flesh easily. Once cooked through, drain the tongue from the cooking liquid and allow to cool completely

Meanwhile, make the giardiniera. Create a spice sachet by wrapping the dry spices in a small piece of muslin cloth and tying together to secure

1 dried chilli
1 pinch of juniper berries
1 pinch of cloves
1 pinch of black peppercorns

Place the vinegar, water, salt and sugar in a large pan and add the spice sachet. Bring to the boil over a medium heat

2l white wine vinegar
1l water
110g of salt
120g of sugar

Add the sliced radishes to the pickling liquid and cook briefly until just tender then scoop out with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. Repeat with the turnip, red onion and carrot, cooking each vegetable separately

5 radishes, sliced
1 turnip, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
1 carrot, sliced

Dress the cooked vegetables in a little olive oil and seasoning ready to serve, or store in the pickling liquid in the fridge until required

extra virgin olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Slice the tongue finely into even pieces. In a separate bowl, mix together the mustard and mayonnaise until thoroughly combined

3 tbsp of mayonnaise
1 tbsp of mustard

To serve, halve the ciabatta and spread the mustard mayonnaise over the bottom halves. Layer up the salami and tongue slices before topping with the pickled vegetables and fresh cress

2 ciabatta buns
1 handful of mixed baby cress
10 slices of salami, such as ciauscolo

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Cristina Bowerman

Cristina Bowerman is a multi-talented chef with a passion for travel and innovative cooking. Her creative plates are rooted in Italian tradition with international flair.